Random blog posts about research in political communication, how people learn or don't learn from the media, why it all matters -- plus other stuff that interests me. It's my blog, after all. I can do what I want.

Saturday, September 19, 2015

Trump & Twitter

Donald Trump (@realDonaldTrump) uses Twitter more than most candidates. Just today he used it to defend his lack of a defense of Obama by the crazy guy at a rally who said Obama is Muslim and not American. For example:

If someone made a nasty or controversial statement about me to the president, do you really think he would come to my rescue? No chance!

So Trump has 4.21 million followers. He follows -- 42. Who are these precious 42 folks that The Donald deigns to follow?

Mostly, he follows himself.

Sixteen of those he follows begins with "Trump," as in Trump Golf Links or Trump Intl Reality. None of these have anywhere near the followers of The Donald. Who else does he follow? Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump and Eric Trump and Melania Trump, as well as some folks who run some of his properties. Seeing a trend here? Incestuous Twitter following. Also he follows folks on, yes believe it or not given recent spats, Fox News. None of these are Megyn Kelly. Instead he follows Bill O'Reilly, Bret Baier, Geraldo Rivera (really?), Greta Van Susteren, Eric Bolling, and that God-awful morning show, Fox & Friends.

On MSNBC, he follows Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski. Best I can tell, he follows no actual working journalists (as opposed to TV talking heads). And he follows no one from CNN (or BBC, or NPR, etc.).